Food and Feed Safety of NS-B5ØØ27-4 Omega-3 Canola (): A New Source of Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

DHA canola, a genetically engineered (OECD Unique Identifier NS-B5ØØ27-4), has been developed as one of the first land-based production systems for omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA), whose health benefits are well-established. Yet, the marine sources of these nutrients are under high pressures due to over-fishing and increasing demand. DHA canola is a plant-based source for these essential fatty acids that produces a high level of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

28-Day oral (gavage) and 13-week (dietary) toxicity studies of DHA canola oil and DHA canola meal in rats.

Omega-3 (ω3) fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fats. Two of the ω3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, ω3, 20:5Δ5,8,11,14,17) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, ω3, 22:6Δ4,7,10,13,16,19) are sourced primarily from fish. Higher consumption, limited fishing quotas and other environmental factors (e.

Proteomics reveals the in vitro protein digestibility of seven transmembrane enzymes from the docosahexaenoic acid biosynthesis pathway.

The measurement of protein digestibility is one of the key steps in determining the safety of a genetically modified crop that has been traditionally accomplished using antibodies. Membrane proteins are often extremely difficult to express with replicated authentic tertiary structure in heterologous systems. As a result raising antibodies for use in safety assessment may not be feasible.

Quantitation of soybean allergens using tandem mass spectrometry.

Soybean (Glycine max) seed contain some proteins that are allergenic to humans and animals. However, the concentration of these allergens and their expression variability among germplasms is presently unknown. To address this problem, 10 allergens were quantified from 20 nongenetically modified commercial soybean varieties using parallel, label-free mass spectrometry approaches.

Managing the risk of insect resistance to transgenic insect control traits: practical approaches in local environments.

Background: Growers have enthusiastically embraced crops genetically modified to express Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins for insect control because they provide excellent protection from key damaging insect pests around the world. Bt crops also offer superior environmental and health benefits while increasing grower income. However, insect resistance development is an important concern for all stakeholders, including growers, technology providers and seed companies that develop these genetically modified crops.

Current and future methods for evaluating the allergenic potential of proteins: international workshop report 23-25 October 2007.

The International Life Science Institute's Health and Environmental Sciences Institute's Protein Allergenicity Technical Committee hosted an international workshop October 23-25, 2007, in Nice, France, to review and discuss existing and emerging methods and techniques for improving the current weight-of-evidence approach for evaluating the potential allergenicity of novel proteins. The workshop included over 40 international experts from government, industry, and academia. Their expertise represented a range of disciplines including immunology, chemistry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and toxicology.

Evaluation of protein safety in the context of agricultural biotechnology.

One component of the safety assessment of agricultural products produced through biotechnology is evaluation of the safety of newly expressed proteins. The ILSI International Food Biotechnology Committee has developed a scientifically based two-tiered, weight-of-evidence strategy to assess the safety of novel proteins used in the context of agricultural biotechnology. Recommendations draw upon knowledge of the biological and chemical characteristics of proteins and testing methods for evaluating potential intrinsic hazards of chemicals.